Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 18 Interrogation
"Was there a master hiding in that alley?"

At the same time, watching the departing figures of the Six Doors group, Zhan Zhao asked a question.

"Yes!"

Jie Wen nodded: "The one who can make Zhao Wujiu hand over the Jade Mirror and completely submit is none other than him—the leader of the Four Great Constables, the head of the Xuanji Hall, 'Ruthless' Su Yiming!"

"This person's martial arts skills are extremely high, and his wisdom and strategy are even more outstanding. Whenever he makes a move, he is always successful. At least 30% of the villains in 'Valley of Villains' are afraid of Su Wuqing and have fled into the valley, never daring to come out again."

"It's no exaggeration to say that the Six Doors have achieved their current power and prestige, and he alone deserves half the credit."

The disciple Dinghai also came to his side at this time. After listening, he said indignantly, "It's a pity that Master praised him so much, but didn't Su Wuqing still lead a crowd to snatch people without distinguishing right from wrong, and protect the heartless murderer?"

"Do not."

Jie Wen had originally harbored hostility towards the Six Doors, but their straightforward admission of defeat, and even their willingness to hand over the Jade Mirror, changed his opinion of them: "The Six Doors have probably realized that something is amiss, and that's why they're trying to salvage the situation..."

Zhan Zhao continued, "But seeing that things were beyond saving, Su Wuqing decisively handed over the Dingjue case to us for handling, which not only avoided animosity but also relieved some of the pressure."

"That's something Su Wuqing would do."

Jie Wen raised an eyebrow: "It seems this jade mirror isn't easy to obtain. Junior Brother, I shouldn't have let you accept it so readily..."

"No! It's fine!"

Zhan Zhao turned the jade mirror up to the sunlight, its shimmering blue light reflecting between his brows: "This is my first test of swordsmanship in the martial world, and it serves as proof. In the future, when we gather around a fire on a snowy night, I can share this with a few close friends over wine!"

Dinghai was filled with envy upon hearing this.

Why wait until another year?

Having defeated the famous constable with his sword, this man will become famous throughout the capital in just a few days!

After chatting and laughing with Jie Wen, Zhan Zhao and Jie Wen both looked at Ding Jue, who was already unconscious on the ground, and their expressions became serious: "Let's go! We need to interrogate this heartless poisoner properly!"

……

Dingjue woke up groggily.

Three figures stood before me.

The head monk of the Dizang Temple, Chihong.

Abbot Jiewen of Guanyin Temple.

and also……

Zhan Zhao sweeping the floor.

He composed himself, ignoring the two high-ranking members of the temple, and stared at Zhan Zhao, coldly saying, "I underestimated you! I didn't expect you to have such martial arts skills at such a young age. No wonder you dared to slander my Six Doors members for committing murder!"

Zhan Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly, offering no rebuttal. A deep, resonant voice rang out from the side: "Dingjue, even now, are you still so stubborn?"

Dingjue then turned to Zen Master Chihong and said coldly, "Zen Master already knows my identity. Please address me by my secular name!"

This clearly shows that they are unwilling to even acknowledge their identity as disciples of the Great Xiangguo Temple.

Jiewen chuckled, finding this exactly what he wanted.

Who would want a murderer like you as a disciple?
Zen Master Chihong sighed softly, still addressing him by his Dharma name: "Dingjue, you have been in the temple for seven years. Regardless of the reason, you have been receiving Buddhist teachings from dawn till dusk, and you have also been diligently expounding the Dharma to the novices. Why have you come to this?"

When he said these words, it was still like a wake-up call, sobering everyone up.

During the initial period of the crime, Dingjue initially appeared panicked, but in reality, he had something to hide. After being reassured, his expression became calm, at least on the surface.

But at this moment, his expression became even more distorted. He stretched his neck forward, spat viciously, and his eyes turned bloodshot: "Pah! Stop pretending! I am a member of the Six Doors, and I have a deep-seated hatred for your Great Xiangguo Temple. Tell me why this is the reason!"

Zen Master Chihong gazed at him, his eyes flickered slightly, and he clasped his hands together, saying, "Amitabha!"

Jiewen promptly followed up: "Deep-seated hatred? What grudge do you have against my temple?"

"A monk burdened with karmic debts!"

Dingjue gritted his teeth: "These most hypocritical monks in Buddhism, their hands are covered in blood, they have killed countless people, yet they can wipe away their past sins with a single sentence: 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot'! They deserve to die! They all deserve to die!"

"All sentient beings are subject to karma; sin is enlightenment!"

Jiewen frowned: "The karmic monks who transfer their unfinished evil karma to themselves in order to stop the cycle of evil karma, the chosen ones are definitely not the evil people of the past, but people with great wisdom and great cultivation, whom we are all inferior to. How come in your mouth they are murderers who have killed countless people?"

"fart!!"

Dingjue was furious: "My family members were killed by monks who had committed karmic offenses. Aren't they just indiscriminately killing innocent people?"

Jie Wen asked in a deep voice, "Which one?"

Ding Jue's brows were filled with murderous intent: "Lu Shisi was once a disciple of the 'Thousand Machines Sect,' and later became a monk in your Great Xiangguo Temple, with the Dharma name 'Jieji,' and known in the martial arts world as 'Hand of Ten Thousand Calamities'..."

"It's him?" Upon hearing this, both Chi Hong and Jie Wen's expressions changed.

After a moment's thought, the two monks shook their heads: "Jieji is indeed different from ordinary people. Due to his obsession with clever tricks, he has also accidentally injured others. That's why he entered the monastic life to atone for his sins. You said your family was harmed by him. What is the reason?"

"So, you mean my family deserved to die? You're all birds of a feather, a bunch of beasts!!"

Dingjue started cursing loudly.

Jie Wen wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that this person was already difficult to communicate with, he could only sigh and turn to Zhan Zhao: "Junior Brother?"

Zhan Zhao stood still as a pine tree, his dark eyes revealing contemplation. He stepped forward, and his first words stunned everyone present: "In your heart, is Su Wuqing, the leader of the Four Great Constables, merely a name without substance?"

"what?"

Dingjue stopped swearing: "What did you say?"

Zhan Zhao continued, "You killed someone, not at Su Wuqing's behest, right?"

"of course not!"

Dingjue thought he understood and immediately shouted, "One should take responsibility for one's own actions. Poisoning was my own idea. Hall Master Su has treated me well, and I will never submit to you and do such despicable things!"

Zhan Zhao said, "I'm not asking you to accuse Su Wuqing, but rather that even if Su Wuqing didn't give the order, you still bear an unshirkable responsibility for your actions."

Dingjue angrily retorted, "Nonsense! I killed someone, but he didn't order me to do it. What does it have to do with him?"

"Of course it's related!"

Zhan Zhao said, "The Four Great Constables are renowned throughout the world. Su Wuqing is especially famous for his unparalleled strategic planning. He is also the head of the Xuanji Hall. Constables from the Six Doors in various places, and even the spies planted by various forces, are all under his command and have overall control."

"So here's the question: you have a deep-seated hatred for the monk who killed your family, yet you've been designated as a mole and kept in hiding for seven years. Is that appropriate?"

Upon hearing this question, not only was Dingjue stunned, but even Chihong and Jiewen showed expressions of doubt.

Zhan Zhao then said, "Obviously, that's not appropriate."

"So you found it unbearable, constantly tormented, and committed a murder in the temple, randomly poisoning people, hoping that the Six Doors would take this opportunity to enter and purge the sinner."

“Throughout the entire infiltration process, Su Wuqing showed no consideration for your feelings and was completely unprepared for unexpected events. Do you think that the title of the leader of the Four Great Constables is undeserved?”

Jiewen couldn't help but nod slightly.

Indeed!
An undercover agent is not an assassin. If they are infiltrating a faction and have personal grudges against that faction, they may neglect their duties for personal reasons, thus affecting the mission.

With Su Wuqing's wisdom and strategic thinking, how could she have arranged for such a person to come in, leading to this terrible disaster?

"No! Hall Master Su is not just a name without substance!"

Dingjue paused for a moment, then immediately corrected himself: "When my family was murdered, I was already at the Daxiangguo Temple. When I was initially assigned to the temple, there was no such grudge..."

"That's not good either!"

Zhan Zhao said decisively, "As the head of the Xuanji Hall, Su Wuqing should not have ignored the secret agents of the Xuanji Hall. When your family was harmed by the wicked monk, it was no longer appropriate for you to continue to infiltrate the Daxiangguo Temple. What he should have done was to decisively remove you from the temple. Did you receive an order to return to the Six Doors at that time?"

"No... Hall Master... Hall Master... He shouldn't be like this..."

The repeated questioning left Dingjue completely bewildered.

Zhan Zhao softened his tone: "In fact, if you believe Su Wuqing's reputation is well-deserved, there's another possibility—"

Dingjue subconsciously asked, "What's possible?"

Zhan Zhao said, word by word, "Su Wuqing has no idea that you have this personal feud with the Great Xiangguo Temple!"

"This is impossible!"

Dingjue instinctively tried to get up, but Zhan Zhao reached out and pressed him back down: "Nothing is impossible. Did Su Wuqing tell you this himself, or was it relayed by someone else?"

Dingjue's expression changed several times, and he replied, "Someone relayed the message..."

Zhan Zhao understood: "You were struck by lightning upon hearing the bad news. You probably want to leave the temple, at least to pay respects to your family and send them off on their final journey."

"But the person who relayed the message told you to continue lying low and not to make a sound, so as to avoid ruining everything, right?"

"Well, since the perpetrator was the 'Hand of Ten Thousand Calamities' Lu Shisi, who was skilled in cunning, I'll venture a guess: did the person who relayed the message tell you that your family's remains were nowhere to be found, and that offering sacrifices would be useless?"

"You were persuaded not to leave the Great Xiangguo Temple, but you suffered greatly during your time there, harboring resentment and enduring immense pain..."

Zhan Zhao stared intently at her, his voice rising like a sudden, sharp rebuke, waking her up: "But from beginning to end, didn't you ever consider that the person who relayed this message was deceiving you?"

"Were your family members really killed by 'The Hand of Ten Thousand Calamities' Lu Shisi?"

"Were your family members really killed?"

(End of this chapter)